Slide-out-room mechanism for a vehicle

ABSTRACT

A slide-out system having a first and second slide-out assembly which are fixed to a first and second side of a slide-out room respectfully. Each assembly preferably includes an upper and lower gear rack fixed to the respective side of the slide-out room. An electric motor is connected to a drive gear that engages the top gear rack, driving movement of the slide-out room. This movement is distributed or synchronized with a lower portion of the room by an axle having a top gear engaged with the top gear rack and a bottom gear engaged with the bottom gear rack. Since the axle is not directly connected to the motor, it acts solely as a secondary synchronization mechanism between the top and bottom of the room.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. Patent Application Ser. No.13/875,173 filed May 1, 2013 entitled Slide-Out Room Mechanism For AVehicle, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application SerialNo. 61/728,794 filed Nov. 20, 2012 entitled Slide-Out Room Mechanism ForA Vehicle, both of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference intheir entireties.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The embodiments set forth in this specification relate to mechanisms formoving a slide-out room into or out of a vehicle. An example slide-outmechanism and vehicles can be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 7,370,900, thecontents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

In order to increase the available interior space of a motorized ortowable vehicle such as a motor home or trailer, these vehicles havebeen designed to include slide-out rooms. When the vehicle is intransit, the slide-out room is retracted and stored in the vehicle'sinterior with the exterior wall of the slide-out room approximatelyflush with the vehicle's exterior. As a result, there is typicallyadequate space within the vehicle's interior to accommodate users intransit and remain within the standard width limitations imposed upon avehicle. When the vehicle is parked and leveled, the slide-out room isthen slid outward through an opening formed in a sidewall of the vehiclethereby, increasing the internal accommodations.

Typically, slide-out rooms include a floor section, a roof section, afirst sidewall section, a second sidewall section, and a third sidewallsection. In the retracted position, the roof section and the first andsecond sidewall section are concealed from exterior view, and the thirdsidewall section forms a portion of the vehicle's sidewall. At the sametime, the floor section of the slide-out room typically rests above afloor section of a fixed room and may form a portion of the usableinterior floor during vehicle transit. Similarly, the roof section ofthe slide-out room may define the interior ceiling of that part of thevehicle during transit. The proximal ends of the roof section, firstsidewall section, and second sidewall section, include stop walls. Asused herein, “proximal” refers to the portion towards the vehicle bodyand “distal” refers to the portion away from the vehicle body. The stopwalls form an L-shaped configuration with the respective roof section,first sidewall section and second sidewall section. The stop wallsengage the inner surface of a respective sidewall section of the fixedroom when the slide-out room is fully extended, and thereby limit thetravel of the slide-out room.

Many slide-out room designs include a manual or motorized mechanism forextending or retracting the slide-out room from a vehicle. For example,U.S. Patent Application 2004/0007890 entitled Room Expansion System,filed Jun. 25, 2003, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,833,296 entitled Motor-OperatedSlide-Out Drive System With Releasable Brake, issued Nov. 10, 1998, eachof which are hereby incorporated by reference. As seen in these examplepatents, the slide-out mechanism often includes a gear rack fixedbeneath the slide-out room floor with at least one gear mounted to thevehicle and engaged with the gear rack. Thus, the gear rack andslide-out room are moved as the gear rotates either from a manual crankor a connected motor.

A significant benefit to this type of drive gearing is its simplicity.Moreover, heavy-duty gearing used in such a design typically increasesthe lifespan of the mechanism. Yet, with this type of gearing designmost of the motive force is concentrated and exerted at the bottom ofthe room. This localized load on the bottom surface of the room canoften create uneven slide-out conditions between the slide-out room'sbottom portion (where the load is concentrated) and the top portion(where there is very little load).

Furthermore, due to the size of some slide-out rooms, the top of theslide-out room may be caused to move relative to bottom if pushed,bumped, or otherwise moved due to the “play” that exists in this type ofgearing design. This “play” at the top of the slide-out room canintermittently unseal the slide-out room from the vehicle body when theslide-out room is in the closed position. Thus, dirt, water or otherundesirable elements may enter the vehicle body thus making the vehicleinterior unsightly or even causing damage.

At times, however, uneven extension or retraction of a slide-out roomhas been designed into the slide-out mechanism. For example, some priorart flush floor slide-out room designs extend and retract the slide-outroom at varying angles to easily and efficiently extend to a flushposition with the floor of the main vehicle body. However, it ispreferable that the slide-out room retract to a substantially levelposition.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

One embodiment of the present invention is directed to a slide-outsystem having a first and second slide-out assembly fixed to a first andsecond side of a slide-out room respectfully. Each assembly preferablyincludes an upper and lower gear rack fixed to the respective side ofthe slide-out room. An electric motor is connected to a drive gear thatengages the top gear rack, driving movement of the slide-out room. Thismovement is distributed or synchronized with a lower portion of the roomby an axle having a top gear engaged with the top gear rack and a bottomgear engaged with the bottom gear rack. Since the axle is not directlyconnected to the motor, it acts solely as a secondary synchronizationmechanism between the top and bottom of the room.

Another embodiment of the present invention allows a user to easilyreplace a motor of a slide-out system from the interior or exterior ofthe slide-out room and without the need to remove the entire slide-outroom and slide-out system from the vehicle. More specifically, sidechannels of the system include inner and outer flexible flap seals thancan be pulled back by a user to expose the motor. The motor is mountedto a support structure and drive gear in a way that either lacks anyvertical retaining mechanism or includes a mechanism that is easilydisengaged. Hence a user can vertically move the motor upwards (e.g., byprying with a screw driver). For example, the motor may include aplurality of vertical mounting posts that engage a plurality of matchingapertures in the mounting bracket.

In another aspect of the present invention, slide-out mechanism can beattached to the slide-out room when both are located outside of thevehicle (i.e., the slide-out room is detached from the vehicle). Onceattached, the room and system can be placed in an aperture of a vehiclesuch that the system's side channels engage a portion of the vehicle'swalls. Finally, a flange member can be added to and engaged with thechannel so as to clamp onto an inner surface of the vehicle's wall inone configuration or to clamp onto an outer surface of the vehicle'swall in another configuration. Hence, the slide-out system by be moreeasily installed as a “single” unit on each side of the room, instead ofinstalling portions of the system separately on the vehicle andslide-out room before lifting the slide-out room into the vehicle'saperture.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other aspects, features and advantages of which embodiments ofthe invention are capable of will be apparent and elucidated from thefollowing description of embodiments of the present invention, referencebeing made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a slide-out system according tothe present invention.

FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of a gear rack according to thepresent invention.

FIG. 3 illustrates a cross sectional view of the gear rack of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 illustrates a perspective view of a synchronizing mechanismaccording to the present invention.

FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate views of a slide-out mechanism according to thepresent invention.

FIG. 7 illustrates a perspective view of a slide-out mechanism on aslide-out room within a vehicle according to the present invention.

FIG. 8 illustrates 8-10 illustrate various views of a motorized drivegear and a synchronization system according to the present invention.

FIG. 11 illustrates a perspective view of a slide-out assembly includinga synchronization mechanism according to the present invention.

FIG. 12 illustrates a top view of a bearing bracket engaged with sidechannel according to the present invention.

FIGS. 13-17 illustrates various views of a clamping flange for engaginga vehicle wall according to the present invention.

FIGS. 18-19 illustrate perspective views of a bearing and motor bracketaccording to the present invention.

FIG. 20 illustrates a perspective view of a motor engaging a drive gearaccording to the present invention.

FIG. 21 illustrates a perspective view of a drive gear according to thepresent invention.

FIGS. 22-24 illustrate various views of gear racks according to thepresent invention.

FIG. 25 illustrates a perspective view of a slide-out system withtemporary stabilizing members for mounting according to the presentinvention.

FIG. 26 illustrates a prior art gear linkage.

FIG. 27 illustrates an alternate channel member according to the presentinvention.

FIGS. 28 and 29 illustrate prior art gear linkages.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Specific embodiments of the invention will now be described withreference to the accompanying drawings. This invention may, however, beembodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limitedto the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments areprovided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and willfully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. Theterminology used in the detailed description of the embodimentsillustrated in the accompanying drawings is not intended to be limitingof the invention. In the drawings, like numbers refer to like elements.

FIGS. 1-6 illustrate an embodiment of a slide-out mechanism 100 thatmoves a room into and out of an aperture of a vehicle (e.g., arecreation vehicle). As described in detail below, the mechanism 100 hasa motorized assembly, shown in FIG. 1, which advances or retracts aslide-out room from a vehicle while a separate equalizing assembly 123distributes force from a lower portion of the slide-out room 101 to anupper portion of the slide-out room 101. While a motorized system isdescribed below, it should be understood that a manually-actuatedversion is also possible.

As seen best in FIG. 1, the mechanism 100 includes a motor 104 coupled agear 106 of cross shaft 102 which thereby allows the motor to rotate thecross shaft 102. Each end of the cross shaft 102 also include a gear 110that engage with a rack 108 that is fixed to the bottom of the slide-outroom 101 (not shown in this figure). As the gears 110 rotate, they movethe racks 108 (including channels 116A and track 118) into and out ofthe vehicle, thereby also moving the slide-out room 101 into and out ofthe vehicle.

FIG. 4 illustrates the equalizing or synchronizing assembly 123 whichtransfers some of the force/movement delivered to the lower portion ofthe slide-out room 101 to the upper portion of the room 101. Each sideof the slide-out room includes an upper and lower gear rack 114,including a geared track 118. The track 118 of each rack 114 are engagedwith upper and lower gears 122, each of which are respectively fixed toupper and lower portions of a vertical axle 124. The vertical axle 124is rotatably fixed to an upper and lower bearing block 120, allowingboth the axle 124 and gears 122 to rotate. This arrangement also allowsthe synchronizing components to support the room from tipping as it isextended or retracted.

The bearing blocks 120 are fixed to side channels 112 of the vehicle(shown in FIG. 1) but also have lips or ridges that engage channels 116Aof the outer molding 116 of the rack 114 (best seen in FIGS. 2 and 3).In this respect, the bearing blocks 120 are fixed to the vehicle, butalso generally maintain a close distance to the gear rack 114.

In operation, the motor 104 drives the cross shaft 102, causing thegears 110 to push the racks 108 (including track 118 and channels 116A)and therefore the bottom of the slide-out room 101. The synchronizingassembly 123 transfers some of the movement/force of the slide-out room101 to an upper portion of the room 101 by causing the vertical axle124, which is engaged with both the lower and upper gear racks 114, torotate.

It should also be understood that the lower gear rack 114 could belocated on the bottom surface of the slide-out room 101, as shown inseveral embodiments of U.S. Pat. No. 7,370,900, the contents of whichare incorporated herein by reference. FIG. 13 of the presentspecification illustrates one such mechanism from the '900 patent(originally FIG. 26) which translates the movement of a bottom,horizontal gear rack to a top gear rack. In this arrangement, gearsengage the lower, horizontal rack while two bearings (unlabeled) engagea groove of the rack to help maintain the gears in engagement with therack.

FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrates another embodiment of a slide-out roommechanism 130 having at least four gear racks located at variouslocations on the slide-out room 101. For example, in the figures, thegear racks 132 are located on the left and right sides of the top andbottom of the slide-out room 101. However, the gear racks 132 mayalternately be located on the upper and lower areas of the left andright sides of the slide-out room 101, similar to those shown in theprevious embodiment.

Each rack 132 is engaged with its own gear 136, each of which is drivenby its own motor 134 (seen in best in the top view of FIG. 6). Eachmotor is controlled by a microcontroller or computer processor (notshown) which controls each of the motors 134 and maintains uniform orsynchronous movement. The motors 132 may also be controlled toasynchronously rotate at specific points during the extension orretraction of the slide-out room 101 to, for example, cause the room 101to be angled upwards or downwards for various design or alignmentpurposes.

Preferably, the motors 134 and gears 136 are mounted to the vehicle at afixed position. Alternately, the motors 134 and gears 136 may be mountedto allow vertical movement. In this regard, vertical leveling systemsmay also be included in the slide-out mechanism 130 to increase ordecrease the vertical height of the room 101 without dislodging the gear136 from the rack 132. Additionally, the rack 132 and gear 136 mayinclude a groove and lip arrangement similar to the previous embodimentfor maintaining a constant distance between the rack 132 and the gear136.

FIGS. 7-12 illustrate another embodiment of a slide-out mechanism 150according to the present invention which is generally similar to thepreviously described mechanism 100. However, the slide-out mechanism 150has two motors 104 mounted near a top side of each side channel 112 andengaging with the top gear rack 116.

As with the previous mechanism 100, the mechanism 150 includes avertical axle 124 having a synchronizing gear 156 on its top and bottomend (see FIG. 11). The top synchronizing gear 156 engages the top gearrack 116 attached to the slide-out room 101 while the bottomsynchronizing gear 160 engages the bottom gear rack 116. Hence, as thetop synchronizing gear 156 rotates, the vertical axle 124 synchronouslyrotates the bottom synchronizing gear 160, thereby evenly distributingforce between the top and bottom of the slide-out room 101.

As seen best in FIGS. 10 and 11, the drive gear 154 of the motor 104,and the top synchronizer gear 156 share and engage the same gear track118 of the top gear rack 116. Hence, the gear track 118 of the top gearrack 116 may be somewhat wider than the gear track 119 of the bottomgear rack 116. However, the drive gear 154 does not directly driverotation of the top synchronizer gear 156 and no direct, rotating,mechanical drive linkage is provided between the two gears. In thisrespect, the synchronizer gears 156/160 and axle 124 do not directlyreceive force from the motor 104 or drive gear 154.

The gears 154, 156 and 160 are enclosed in one of two bearing blocks 152which are fixed in place by two mechanisms. The first mechanism includestwo raised lips or hooks 152A on the bearing blocks 152 that interlockwith two grooves 116A of the gear racks 116.

As seen best in FIGS. 9, 10 and 11, these grooves 116A are arranged oneither side of the gear track 118 or 119 and helps maintain the bearingblock 152 and its gears against the gear rack 116. Preferably, thesegrooves are shaped or angled such that water (e.g., rain) flows overtheir openings. For example, the upper groove has a generally inclinedand vertical cross sectional shape and the lower groove has a generallyvertical cross sectional shape. In this respect, the shape of thegrooves 116A help prevent water from otherwise entering the vehicle.

With regard to the second mechanism, the bearing blocks 152 are directlyfixed to the vertical channel 112 of the vehicle by tabs 112A on thechannel 112 that engage with grooves 152B on the bearing blocks 152, asbest seen in the cross sectional view of FIG. 12. The bearing blocks 152and the channel 112 are further connected via adhesive or additionalmechanical fastener (e.g., bolts). In this respect, the bearing blocks152 are fixed to both the gear racks 116 of the slide-out room 101 andthe channel 112 of the vehicle.

As best seen in FIG. 11, the lower gear rack 116B may include aperpendicular lower surface 116B. This surface 116B can be located alongthe underside of the slide-out room floor and allows the gear rack 116to be evenly mounted.

Preferably, each of the embodiments of this specification includerollers that are mounded beneath the slide-out room (i.e., mountedeither to the vehicle or to the bottom of the slide-out room. Theserollers are oriented to support the weight of the room and facilitateits movement into and out of the vehicle.

FIGS. 13-17, illustrate a clamp mechanism or removable inner flange forfacilitating installation of the slide-out mechanism to a vehicle wall103. As seen in FIG. 13, the cross sectionally “T” shaped side channels112 include an outwardly flanged ridge 112C that is located against anouter surface of a vehicle wall 103, adjacent to the wall's aperture forthe slide-out room 101. Depending on the size of the slide-out room 101and its attached slide-out mechanism, the perpendicular portion 112D ofthe side channels 112 may be spaced apart from or flush against the edgeof the wall 103. Next, an angled end 170A of a non-unitary flange orclamp member 170 is positioned into a mating groove 112B in the channel112, as seen in FIG. 14. Generally, the mating groove 112B and angledend 170A are shaped such that they lock the clamp member 170 into aposition that is generally parallel with flanged ridge 112C, therebyclamping the channel 112 on to the wall 103. In one embodiment, thegroove 112B includes a sloping curve and an overhanging portion, whilethe angled end 170A includes an oppositely oriented curve shape toengage the overhanging portion. The clamp member 170 may be furtherscrewed to the wall 103 via a plurality of screws. Preferably, the clampmember 170 extends substantially the length of the channel 112 oralternately a plurality of clamp members 170 with smaller lengths can beused. Alternately, the clamp member 170 may be connected to then channel112 via a hinge mechanism that allows the member 170 to swing outwards,away from the wall 103.

Turning to FIGS. 16 and 17, an outer seal flap 173 and an inner sealflap 172 can be attached to the channel 112 to help prevent weatherelements, such as rain, from entering the vehicle. Preferably, both sealflaps 172A and 174A include hollow bumper portions 172A and 174A. In thecase of the bumper 174A, this region contacts an inner surface of theslide-out room 101, preventing damage to the vehicle and furtherenhancing the seal of the flap 174 when the room 101 is in a retractedposition.

In one embodiment, the slide-out system includes several features toeasily replace the motor 104. Since the inner seal flap 172 ispreferably composed of flexible material, such as rubber or silicone, itcan be bent backwards by a user when inside the slide-out room 101 toexpose the motor 104.

Additionally, a modified bearing block 176 can further facilitate easyremoval and replacement of the motor 104. As seen in FIGS. 18 and 19,the bearing block 176 is similar to the previously described bearingblocks, including inner lips or hooks 176A that engage channels 116A andan additional outer lip 176B that bears against an outer surface of thegear rack 116. The top surface of the bearing block 176 includes aplurality of apertures 176D that are sized to accept matching posts 104Alocated on a lower surface of the motor 104. Hence, the motor 104 can bedetached from the bearing block 176 via upward, vertical movement,without the need to remove any vertical restraint mechanism on the motor104.

To further facilitate moving the motor 104 upward, one or more insetregions or depressions 176C (e.g., between 0.1 and 1 inch deep) arelocated on the top surface of the bearing block 176, allowing a user toinsert a screw driver, or similar tool, between the depression 176C andthe motor 104 to upwardly pry the motor 104. Preferably, the bearingblock 176 includes two depressions along the inner side of the bearingblock 176 such that one depression is accessible from an inside of theslide-out room 101 and another depression is accessible from an outsideof the vehicle (i.e., by pulling back seal flap 174). To allow easyinsertion of a screw driver, the depressions 176C are preferably locatedalong an outer edge of the bearing block 176.

As further seen in FIGS. 20 and 21, the drive gear 154 preferablyincludes a stepped-down or recessed “D” fitting, sized to mate with theaxle 105 and flat surface 105A. In other words, the drive gear 154includes an inset arc shape 154A within its central passage. Hence, whenthe axle 105 of the motor 104 is placed on the drive gear 154, the axle105 can partially enter the central passage of the gear 154, even if theflat surface 105A and the arc shape 154A are not aligned with eachother. The axle 105 can then be rotated to align these surfaces,allowing the axle to pass fully into the drive gear 154.

In this respect, a motor 104 can be removed from an inside of theslide-out room by pulling back inner flap 172 to at least partiallyexpose the motor 104, insert a tool into a depression 176C on a supportor bearing block 176 and exert upwards force on the motor 104 such thatthe posts 104A move out of the apertures 176D of the block 176 and theaxle 105 moves out of the central passage of the drive gear 154. Themotor 104 can be removed from an outside of the slide-out room bypulling back outer flap 174 to at least partially expose the motor 104,insert a tool into a depression 176C on a support or bearing block 176and exert upwards force on the motor 104 such that the posts 104A moveout of the apertures 176D of the block 176 and the axle 105 moves out ofthe central passage of the drive gear 154. From either removal position,a new motor 104 can be moved within the channel 112 and its posts 104Acan be aligned with apertures 176D and partially enter the centralpassage of the drive gear 154. Finally, the axle 105 can be rotated toalign the surfaces 105A and 154A to a mating position (i.e., such thatthe flat portions of each component fit against each other), therebyallowing the axle 105 and posts to fully enter the gear 154A andapertures 176D, respectfully.

Preferably, the bearing block 176 is composed of a low frictionmaterial, such as Delrin. In another embodiment, the bearing block 176includes a low friction coating, such as white lithium bearing greasespray, which is located on its inner surfaces to reduce friction betweenit and the gears 154, 156, and axle 124.

As best seen in FIGS. 22 and 23, the channels 116A of the gear rack 116have upper surfaces that at least partially cover and/or are angleddownwards when mounted. This configuration helps reduce the amount ofwater that can accumulate when extended in various weather conditions.Additionally, the bearing block 176 includes an upper lip 176B which hasa generally low clearance with the angled surface of the rack 116,thereby pushing off at least some of the water that may have accumulatedwhile the room 101 was extended. Similarly, the fingers or lips 176A areshaped to substantially conform to the interior space of the crosssectional shape of the channels 116A with little clearance, therebyallowing the lips 176A to push some of the water out of the channels116A.

In a preferred embodiment, the electrical wiring for the motor 104 isfixed within the channel 112 prior to attachment of the slide-out systemto the room 101. It is often desirable to connect the motor to avehicle's power supply near the bottom of the channel 112 and thereforepositioning the electrical wires within the channel prior toinstallation of the system avoids the need of fishing the wires throughthe channel after installation on the room.

FIGS. 22 and 23 illustrates cross sectional views of gear racks that aregenerally similar to the previously described gear racks of thisspecification. However, the present gear racks 116 includes a gear trackmounting channel 116C with a relatively rectangular/square shape andgenerally smooth/uniform surfaces as compared to the rack 116 shown inFIG. 10, which includes raised lip surfaces on the lower and sideportions. While these raised lip surfaces help maintain the track 119 inthe gear rack 116 during normal use, they can make removal andreplacement of the track 119 from the rack 116 difficult, especiallywhen mounted on a slide-out room 101. In contrast, the smooth,rectangular surfaces of the track mounting channel 116C allows a user toinsert a screw driver 117 (or similar tool) between the gear rack 116and the track 119 and pry the track 119, breaking the adhesive bondsbetween the bottom and sides of the mounting channel 116C and the track119. Without the additional support provided by the raised lips of theFIG. 10 rack 116, the prying movement more effectively breaks out andtherefore removes the track 119, as seen in FIG. 24, allowing a user toremove the track 119 while the rack 116 is still mounted to the room101.

In practice, a user can insert a screw driver 117 between a sidewall oftrack mounting channel 116C and a side of track 119, and applyperpendicular force relative to the two surfaces so as to causeseparation of the surfaces and breaking an adhesive bond. This motion iscontinued along the length of the track 119 and option along an oppositeside of the track 119 until the track 119 is free of the rack 116.Additionally, this action can be performed while the rack 116 is stillmounted on the slide-out room 101, eliminating the need to remove theentire slide-out room 101 and slide-out system 150 from the vehicle.

In one embodiment, the entire slide-out system 150 is configured forassembly first to a slide-out room 101 that is located outside of avehicle, and then later mounted to walls of a vehicle. To betterstabilize and generally maintain the top and bottom gear racks 116 in aparallel orientation from each other, two temporary support members 178are fixed to each end of the racks 116. Preferably, these supportmembers are elongated and of the same length such that they can beconnected to each end of the racks 116 (e.g., generally the lengthbetween the gears 156 and 160).

The slide-out system 150, including temporary support members 178 islocated against a first outer sidewall of a slide-out room 101. Once thegear racks 116 are oriented in a desired position (e.g., parallel to theslide-out room's floor/ceiling), the gear racks 116 are fixed to theslide-out room 101 (e.g., with screws). Next, the temporary supportmembers 178 are removed from the gear racks 116. The same process isrepeated with a second slide-out assembly on the opposite side of theslide-out room 101.

Next, the slide-out room 101, including two assemblies of the slide-outsystem 150 are lifted into an aperture in the sidewall of a vehicle (seeFIG. 7). Preferably, the slide-out room 101 includes a plurality of lowprofile rollers on its bottom surface, allowing the room 101 to roll onan interior of the vehicle and maintain a desired height within theaperture. The outer flanges 112C of the side channels 112 are movedagainst an outer surface of the vehicle walls around the aperture. Thechannels 112 are clamped to the vehicle's wall by inserting clampmembers 170 into the groove 112B of the channel 112, thereby pressingthe clamp member 170 against an inner surface of the vehicle wall 103.Preferably, the outer flange 112C and clamp members 170 both include anelongated channel 112E and 170B respectively for receiving adhesive tapeor liquid adhesives for adhering to the wall 103. Finally, the sidechannels 112 can be further secured to the sidewall 103 via screwsthrough either the flange 112C, the clamp 170 or both members.

In an alternate channel embodiment, the locations of the fixed-positionflange 112C and the clamp member 170 can be swapped or reversed, as seenin FIG. 27. In this respect, the slide-out system can be attached to thevehicle from the inside of the vehicle, such that the flange 112Cengages an inner surface of the wall 103 and then the clamp member 170is engaged with an outer surface of the wall 103.

It should be understood that different elements and assemblies of theembodiments described in this application can be replaced by thosedisclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,370,900, which is incorporated herein byreference. For example, the gear racks can be replaced by a geared belt,a chain, or other flexible horizontal member 190, as seen in FIGS. 28and 29 (originally from the '900 patent). In another example, the axle124 and gears 156 and 160 can be replaced by a vertical belt 194 andvertical gears 192. In another example, only the top or bottom gearracks may be replaced with belts or chains, allowing both to be used.

Although the invention has been described in terms of particularembodiments and applications, one of ordinary skill in the art, in lightof this teaching, can generate additional embodiments and modificationswithout departing from the spirit of or exceeding the scope of theclaimed invention. Accordingly, it is to be understood that the drawingsand descriptions herein are proffered by way of example to facilitatecomprehension of the invention and should not be construed to limit thescope thereof.

What is claimed is:
 1. A slide-out system for a vehicle, comprising: a drive assembly having a motor coupled to a drive gear that is engageable with a side of a slide-out room of a vehicle; a vertical channel member having a first channel side in which said drive assembly is mounted, and a second channel side that is engageable with a vehicle wall; said second side having an outwardly flanged ridge extending vertically along said vertical channel member and a clamp engaging portion extending vertically along said vertical channel member; and, a clamp member having an elongated shape and engages said clamp engaging portion such that said outwardly flanged ridge engages a first side of said vehicle wall and said clamp member engages a second side of said vehicle wall that is opposite of said first side.
 2. The slide-out system of claim 1, wherein said vertical channel member has a “T” shaped cross sectional shape.
 3. The slide-out system of claim 1, wherein said clamp engaging portion is a groove and wherein said clamp member has an angled end that mates with said groove.
 4. The slide-out system of claim 1, wherein said clamp engaging portion is a hinge.
 5. The slide-out system of claim 1, further comprising an outer seal flap disposed along an outer vertical length of said outwardly flanged ridge.
 6. The slide-out system of claim 1, further comprising an inner seal flap disposed along an inner vertical length of said vertical channel member so as to cover said drive assembly.
 7. The slide-out system of claim 6, wherein said inner seal flap is composed of flexible materials and wherein said inner seal flap is bendable by a user so as to expose said motor to an interior of said vehicle.
 8. The slide-out system of claim 1, further comprising a bearing block engaged with said vertical channel member and supporting said motor and said drive gear.
 9. The slide-out system of claim 8, wherein said motor is disposed on a top portion of said bearing block.
 10. The slide-out system of claim 8, wherein said drive assembly further comprises a passive synchronizing mechanism having a vertical shaft fixed to an upper synchronizing gear and a lower synchronizing gear; said vertical shaft located along said first channel side so as to rotate and such that said upper synchronizing gear and said lower synchronizing gear respectively engage with an upper gear rack and a lower gear rack, both of which are disposed along said side of said slide-out room.
 11. A slide-out system for a vehicle, comprising: a drive assembly having a motor coupled to a drive gear that is engaged with a slide-out room of a vehicle; a vertical channel member in which said drive assembly is mounted; said vertical channel member further having an outwardly flanged ridge extending vertically along said vertical channel member and being fixed to an outer vehicle wall; said vertical channel member further having a clamp engaging portion extending vertically along said vertical channel member; and, a clamp member having an elongated shape and an edge engaging said clamp engaging portion so as to be substantially parallel to said outwardly flanged ridge engages an inner side of said vehicle wall.
 12. The slide-out system of claim 11, wherein said vertical channel member has a “T” shaped cross sectional shape.
 13. The slide-out system of claim 11, wherein said clamp engaging portion is a groove and wherein said clamp member has an angled end that mates with said groove.
 14. The slide-out system of claim 11, further comprising an outer seal flap disposed along an outer vertical length of said outwardly flanged ridge.
 15. The slide-out system of claim 11, further comprising an inner seal flap disposed along an inner vertical length of said vertical channel member so as to cover said drive assembly.
 16. The slide-out system of claim 15, wherein said inner seal flap is composed of flexible materials and wherein said inner seal flap is bendable by a user so as to expose said motor to an interior of said vehicle.
 17. The slide-out system of claim 11, further comprising a bearing block engaged with said vertical channel member and supporting said motor and said drive gear.
 18. The slide-out system of claim 17, wherein said motor is disposed on a top portion of said bearing block.
 19. The slide-out system of claim 18, wherein said drive assembly further comprises a passive synchronizing mechanism having a vertical shaft fixed to an upper synchronizing gear and a lower synchronizing gear; said vertical shaft located along said first channel side so as to rotate and such that said upper synchronizing gear and said lower synchronizing gear respectively engage with an upper gear rack and a lower gear rack, both of which are disposed along said side of said slide-out room.
 20. A slide-out system assembly method for a vehicle, comprising: providing a drive assembly having a motor coupled to a drive gear that is fixed to a vertical channel member; fixing an outwardly flanged vertical ridge to an outer wall of said vehicle; engaging an elongated clamp member to a clamp engaging portion extending vertically along said vertical channel member such that the elongated clamp member is in contact with an inner surface of said outer wall of said vehicle and generally parallel with said outwardly flanged vertical ridge; fixing said elongated clamp member to said inner surface of said inner surface of said outer wall. 